Murder in the Forest, Chapter 30

The alarm sounded, and Seaver and Blacklaws grudgingly rose, murmured tender sentiments and went out to relieve their bladders and stretch. They were careful to use flashlights, as the sun had yet to fully illuminate the forest floor, and shadows were rampant and perhaps masked places to turn an ankle or conceal a snake.

Back at the car, they made a fire distant enough not to ignite any gasoline fumes or cause other issues, and fried scrambled eggs and Spam. There was a fresh jar of Gray Poupon Country Dijon mustard for the Spam. Blacklaws opened a can of pineapple and they brewed coffee, the smell of which was heavenly and invigorating.

"I can open some sardines if you're still hungry," offered the tall deputy.

Seaver rolled her eyes and laughed, knowing that he was teasing her.

They cleaned up and got the vehicle back in shape after their night in the back and had another coffee as they discussed what to do until the rescue party arrived. They each fielded calls from their supervisors, who were relieved to find that all was well. Ford said that he had talked with the road crew supervisor and that both a bulldozer and a grader and workmen were enroute with dump trucks and that they should arrive in an hour or two. Phone reception was sketchy, but audible.

"I think I want to walk down to the river and see which tracks we can find," said Blacklaws. "You'd be surprised what that can tell you about what passed in the night, and if Bigfoot was there, I need to know, not to mention about that damned bear. Bring your rifle and we'll take binoculars, too. We may see some game or birds worth watching."

Despite some misgiving, Ashley agreed and they were soon down at the river, some hundred feet wide here and flowing smoothly without strong rapids. Sign along the banks told of raccoons, coyotes, and what was possibly a marten or similar weasel-like animal. Blacklaws pointed out a beaver dam at one pool and they saw a variety of birds.

Finally, they went back up the hill and scouted the area from the advantage of height. It was well that they did, for she spotted something moving several hundred yards out at about their one o'clock angle. She helped her partner to locate it by relating its position in relation to a lightning-blasted tree, and then he also saw the moving shape.

Sitting on a log, he adjusted the focus of his precise German binocular and gasped. "That's a Bigfoot, I think. Ashley, look! What the hell is that? That's no bear! It's walking upright and rather like a heavy man. Quick, get a good look before it gets into those trees! We may be seeing the stuff of legend and are probably having one of the great adventures of our lives right now!" He struggled to hold the big astronomical binocular steady and tried to control his breathing.

Ashley confirmed what he saw, and handed him the smaller 8X42 Zeiss to better let him follow the animal in the wider field of view as it strolled along with a rolling gait, looking carefully around as it went. And then, it was gone, into a patch of tall, dark timber.

"We aren't going after that thing, are we?" demanded the FBI agent. "Peter, it's on the other side of the river. It must have crossed somewhere during the night. It's so tall and powerful that it can probably swim or ford the water where we can't. I'm scared of it. How tall is it? Ten, twelve feet? Are you going to shoot at it if we see it again?" These questions poured out of her like water from a pitcher and she was breathing heavily and had to sit and brace herself on the log. She fumbled for the rifle and checked to see that the magazine was loaded. Something raw and primeval shook her inner core and she knew a dread never before experienced.

Blacklaws swung up his Winchester .375 Magnum and set the variable telescopic sight to maximum magnification. "I can't hold steady enough to hit something at that range," he announced. "Besides, I'm not sure we should shoot at it unless threatened."

He lowered the 'scope power to 3X, to let him quickly acquire the animal or the bear if either approached. He set the rifle aside and took out his pocket notebook and a stainless Parker T-Ball Jotter pen and asked Ashley to confirm just where they'd seen the animal moving and where it'd disappeared. He then made careful sketches, including landmarks, so they could later find tracks, if any were present.

That done, he called Chris van Reenan and told him what they'd just seen. The big scientist was astonished and insisted they each repeat the story before he was sure they weren't having a joke at his expense. Then, he said that he'd call the sheriff and wildlife officials and bring a boat so they could cross the river and photograph any evidence of the creature. "This is one of the greatest natural history stories of this century, if we can prove what you saw," he added, quite unnecessarily.

"Bring hip boots or waders, too," Blacklaws admonished. "Some of that land over there looks swampy. But I swear Chris, we did see what I said, and we both used both binoculars and braced our elbows on our knees for steadiness. I'd testify in court to what we saw."

"I'm calling Hotch," announced Seaver, and did.

That gentleman finally accepted that she had seen what she thought, or was at least convinced of the validity of the sight. He said that he was bringing the entire team there, and they would bring an evidence team to make casts of any footprints.

"But we can't linger for too long," he added. "The federal judge in Seattle is supposed to let us know this morning if we have probable cause and warrants to search some of you-know-whose property. As significant as this Bigfoot sighting is, our primary duty now is to locate those girls. Even the murders have to take a back seat to that for now."

Seaver agreed, and they hung up. But she looked at Blacklaws and he looked back, and finally, he said, "Ashley, we have really seen something today."

She hugged herself and nodded. "That's the understatement of the year."